Can "Articles of the Federation" be read standalone?

[Sho]

Just a quick question, am I right in thinking that "Articles of the Federation" would be a good candidate for reading independently of the continuity going on at the time? I assume that the UFP president is being kept in the loop on events occuring elsewhere, but since (s)he's being informed at the same time the reader is, the info situation should be ok - but there might be a danger of spoilers?

(I hope this sort of quick drive-by question thread that doesn't open up a whole lot of discussion opportunities is alright by the board rules, btw.)

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Yes.

 

[Sci]

Yeah, you can read Articles by itself. It does follow up on a few threads from other books, but you get a summary of what you need to know in the book, so you don't have to read the others.

 

[captcalhoun]

[old joke]

no, you have to read every other book set before it first

[/old joke]

 

[Julio Angel Ortiz]

Oh no you didn't.

 

[Captaindemotion]

I read and enjoyed it without reading the A Time To... series and other books referenced in it. I wasn't really confused. Well, no more than I normally am.

 

[captcalhoun]

Oh no you didn't.

oh yes i did!
[/panto season]

 

[JD]

Articles is one of my favorite Trek books, and I don't see where it would be any less enjoyable if you haven't read the books around it.

 

[CaptainDonovin]

Articles is just about my favorite Trek books, everytime someone mentions it I have to throw in I'd love a follow up.

 

[Sho]

Thanks folks, I dove in right that very evening, and wasn't able to wrestle myself away to sleep until I had reached about the midway point .

What a magnificent page turner this is. Porting the "West Wing" formula to Star Trek is really a brilliant idea, and I think it even exceeds the dynamics of the original in places. And obviously the book fills in such a big gap in the tapestry of Trek fiction. It really needed filling.

Of course I'm late to the party in the context of this forum, but on the off chance that anybody reading this hasn't picked up "Articles of the Federation" yet: Do it!

I think I'm coming around to calling KRAD my overall favorite Treklit author in this millenium. His characters connect, his issues resonate, the tone of his Star Trek always finds the right balance between serious and optimistic ... I can't remember having read a single dud by him.

And the best thing: I've only read about half of his Trek novels so far (but all of the SCE ebooks), so there's more to come ... being late has its advantages .

 

[Yevetha]

Yes.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Articles is just about my favorite Trek books, everytime someone mentions it I have to throw in I'd love a follow up.

Sadly, and unjustly, it wasn't financially successful enough to warrant one.

 

[Sho]

Yougottabekiddingme. Sigh.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Wish I was but I wouldn't joke about something like that. KRAD confirmed it on the boards some time ago.

 

[JWolf]

In order to get the most out of Articles of the Federation, you have to read every Star Trek book that chronologically came first and then all the Star Trek books that chronologically came after. I know that's a tall order, but you can do it because we know how badly you want to read Articles of the Federation and get as much enjoyment out of it as you possibly can.

 

[Sho]

In order not to post jokes redundantly, you have to read every post that chronologically came first. Apparently a tall order, too.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ LOL!

 

[KRAD]

Thanks, Sho for the kind words about my work in general and Articles in particular. It was a true labor of love, and I'm always pleased when new folks find it.

No chance of a sequel, sadly -- it sold pretty poorly. Which, in retrospect, isn't much of a surprise, since it was such an odd duck from the usual. The general consensus among them that read it is positive, but not that many people came to the table in the first place.

How-some-ever, A Singular Destiny, my followup to Mr. Mack's Destiny trilogy, serves as a sort of spiritual sequel to Articles......

 

[Sho]

Thanks, Sho for the kind words about my work in general and Articles in particular.

You're very welcome!

It was a true labor of love, and I'm always pleased when new folks find it.

I'm sure this is one that's going to continue to grow its audience over the years, coming up in many a future "so which are the ones to read" threads.

In fact, the standalone+singleton nature might even help with that, since it's indeed easy to read out of order.

How-some-ever, A Singular Destiny, my followup to Mr. Mack's Destiny trilogy, serves as a sort of spiritual sequel to Articles......

Nifty! I still haven't made the big leap past the Destiny trilogy at this point, but I'm closing in.

 

[KRAD]

How-some-ever, A Singular Destiny, my followup to Mr. Mack's Destiny trilogy, serves as a sort of spiritual sequel to Articles......

Nifty! I still haven't made the big leap past the Destiny trilogy at this point, but I'm closing in.

ASD has the same big-picture attitude, dealing with political thingee stuff and the like. President Bacco plays a large supporting role, though the protagonist is a new character created for the novel.